


Onsen

by rinthegreat



Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Ok a little angsty too, Post-Series, SO MUCH FLUFF, SouHaru Week, dentist on speed dial, it's not a catthegreat fic without angst lbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-04
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-05-04 21:10:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5348585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinthegreat/pseuds/rinthegreat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternate title: Moving Slow.</p>
<p>They’ve only been dating for two weeks when they plan their first overnight trip as a couple. SouHaru</p>
            </blockquote>





	Onsen

**Author's Note:**

> SouHaru Week 2015 Day 4: Winter

            They’ve only been dating for two weeks when they plan their first overnight trip as a couple.  Haru gets the call from Makoto; Rin’s visiting from Australia, and they’re planning to relax at an onsen away from Tokyo. 

            “He only has a week off after their tournament, so we were wondering if you’d like to join us,” Makoto mentions over dinner.  Haru’s cooking for just the two of them again tonight; Yamazaki has physical therapy and an exam the next morning.

            “Yes.”  He doesn’t even think about it.  Yamazaki loves Rin.  He still wears that stupid necklace as evidence of their promise to swim together again.  Every day.

            “Rin said he’s going to ask Yamazaki as well,” Makoto continues gently.  He’s taken to treating Haru and Yamazaki’s relationship like a skittish kitten; like one breath of air is going to startle it away. 

            Like Haru would go into something without being more than 100% certain he’s prepared for it.

            Haru shrugs and goes back to his cod.  He’s been slowly expanding his cooking repertoire.  It’s not mackerel but he thinks he likes it enough to make it again in a week or so.  Mackerel till then though.

            They talk about it the next night over dinner.  Yamazaki’s the one to bring it up.  He’s the more vocal of the two of them.  Always has been, really.  “Rin messaged me last night.  Wanted to know if we were interested in going to an onsen with him and Tachibana.  I told him I’d ask you.”  So considerate.

            Unlike Haru.  “I already told Makoto we’d go.”

            Yamazaki raises his eyebrows.  “You can take that much time off training?”  He asks finally.  Haru still doesn’t have as good a read on him as on Makoto.  He can’t tell if that’s what he meant to say.  Or if it’s what he’d been thinking.

            “It’s not that much.”  Yamazaki has a point though; Haru hadn’t even thought to ask his coach.  But he doesn’t want to say that.  Doesn’t want to bring up that he’d been so excited to see Rin that everything else slipped his mind.

            “Hmm…I’ll let Rin know then.”  That’s the last they talk about it that night.  Haru doesn’t bother reminding Sousuke that Makoto has already, no doubt, told him.

            Haru gets busy with training in the weeks leading up to the trip.  It takes some negotiating, but he is able to get the time off.  The caveat, of course, is that he has to actually use the days to rest.  If he feels stressed enough to need four nights at a hot spring, then he needs to take full advantage of it.

            It’s not that he lied.  He just left out that he was planning to go with friends.

            Rin skypes him a few days before his big tournament.  It’s become a sort of tradition for them, video chatting before races.  It gets Haru’s blood pumping.  Makes the competition more interesting.  And he can tell that the redhead feels the same.

            “Haru,” Rin speaks before the video feed even comes through on Haru’s laptop, “Sousuke told me you agreed to the onsen trip without asking him.”

            He’s on the defensive the minute Yamazaki’s name slips from Rin’s lips.  Casual.  Comfortable.  First name basis.  “If he didn’t want to go, he should’ve said something.”

            Rin sighs, tapping his fingers on the desk net to him.  “That’s not really the issue here, Haru.”

            “Then what is it?”  Rin pretends he’s not as protective of Yamazaki as he is of Rin, but he’d woken up to a five page long email detailing all the reasons Haru shouldn’t mess with Yamazaki’s heart the morning after they’d started dating.

            Sometimes he’s not sure what concerns him more: that Rin knows Yamazaki better than he does, or that if they break up Yamazaki’s the one who will get Rin.

            Another sigh.  “Have you even thought about this?”

            Haru doesn’t even deign that with a response.  Of course he’s thought about it.  He’ll get to sit in hot spring water all he wants for four days _and_ he’ll get to spend time with Rin.  Really, what’s the issue here?

            “I mean have you thought about what this means for you two?”  Rin pauses, but when Haru doesn’t say anything he barrels on.  “Makoto and I haven’t seen each other in ages.  We’re going to be sharing a room.”  Another pause.  “Separate from yours and Sousuke’s.”

            It takes a second for the meaning between the words to sink in, but then the back of Haru’s neck flushes.  He hadn’t thought about that.  Not at all.  “Oh.”

            Rin nods at him, obnoxious superior look plastered on his face.  “Yeah, oh.  I know you haven’t…er that is…”  He gets flustered, gesturing wildly, and the embarrassment gets to Haru.  Not much usually does, but Rin has the ability to bring it out in him.  Damn useless ability.

            “Shut up, Rin.”

            “I’m just saying!  You don’t have to feel pressured or –“

            Haru hangs up on him, ears pink.  He doesn’t want to think about this.  At all.

            He slams his laptop shut for good measure, then buries himself in the bath water, ignoring the distant buzzing from his phone in the next room.

            Rin’s words are on his mind constantly in the week leading up to the trip.  Between his training and Yamazaki’s physical therapy, not to mention both of their class schedules, they don’t see each other all week. 

            That just makes it worse.

            Makoto goes to pick up Rin at the airport while Haru’s still at practice.  He wants to go, wants to see his two best friends the minute Rin’s plane lands, but the two of them need time together.  And besides, he’s been around them before when they’ve been apart for a while; it’s gross.

            He climbs out of the pool, the last swimmer left, and looks up just in time to see a towel flying at him.  Reflexively he snatches it from the air and dries his face.  “You look good.”  The tone’s deep, and the back of Haru’s neck prickles at the sound.  He tosses the towel over his head, pretending to dry his hair.

            “Yamazaki.  I thought you had physical therapy.”

            “I did.  It ended over an hour ago.”  The voice is a lot closer this time, accompanied by a warm hand removing the towel from his head.  Haru looks up, then automatically away.  Yamazaki leans down, close enough that Haru can feel his breath ghosting over his collar bone, and his own breath hitches.  They’ve been dating for two weeks but they haven’t gone any further than occasionally brushing their fingers together reaching for the same object.  He thinks, for a second, that Yamazaki might…

            “Come on, Nanase.  We’re already late.”  The towel reappears, accompanied by an almost ruffle of his hair, but then the warmth is gone.  When Haru looks up, Yamazaki’s halfway across the deck already.

            He needs to pull himself together, or this is going to be a long trip.

            Yamazaki waits patiently for him outside the locker room while Haru changes.  When he comes out, his…Yamazaki is staring at the screen of his phone.  Probably texting Rin.  He looks up when Haru comes out and locks the phone before Haru can get a glimpse, then pockets it, pulling on his gloves.  “Ready?”  Haru just nods.

            They walk in an uninterrupted silence until they reach the train station.  Haru hears him before he sees him.  “Haru!  Sousuke!”

            Rin’s waving at them like a maniac, wearing about a thousand layers.  His breath is visible behind the three scarves Haru sees poking out of his top jacket.  Makoto’s standing next to him, cheeks pink, grinning at them as they arrive.  “Hey Haru.  Yamazaki.”

            Haru nods to him, already crafting a comment on the scarves, but Yamazaki beats him to the punch.  “Jeez, Rin, did you wear all the clothes you own?”

            “Shut up.”  Rin shoves at Yamazaki, looking more like a red marshmallow than a person, but Yamazaki just chuckles.  Easy.  Comfortable.  More at home on this platform with Rin than in his own apartment, eating dinner with Haru.

            There’s a weight on his shoulder, and Haru looks up to see Makoto smiling down on him, careful and concerned.  “Are you ok?”  He whispers low enough that the others can’t hear him.  Haru looks away.  He hadn’t thought he’d been glaring that much.

            “Haru.”  Suddenly Rin’s there, arm half thrown over his shoulder.  It would be all the way around, but Haru suspects the layers he’s wearing is preventing it.  “You’ve gained muscle.”

            “I’m wearing a coat.”

            Rin huffs out a laugh, the smoke dissipating into the air around them.  “Sou sent me a picture earlier.  You’ve really been training, huh?”

            He looks up in surprise at _Sou_ – not that he can call him that – and sees the taller man looking away, the cold tinging his cheeks.  There’s a muscle working in his jaw.  Haru shrugs Rin’s arm off his shoulder.  “What did you think I’ve been doing?”  He tries to scowl at Rin, but apparently it doesn’t come out so scathing.  Rin just laughs again.

            When the train arrives, Haru doesn’t look at Yamazaki.  He just shoves Rin in ahead of him, ignoring the spluttering “what the –“ that comes out of the redhead’s mouth.  There are two seats open next to each other, and he claims them, pulling Rin in next to him.

            The redhead loosens his scarves once their inside, looking around until his eyes land on Makoto.  Haru notes how his shoulders loosen when their gazes meet.  To his surprise, though, Rin doesn’t try to move away.  Just nods to Makoto who leads Yamazaki off to find another set of seats.

            Enough of Rin’s layers are off when he turns to Haru, that he can see the soft smile on Rin’s face.  “You missed me that much, huh, Haru?”  He teases.

            “Shut up,” Haru grumbles back, averting his gaze.  Makoto and Yamazaki are four rows diagonally behind them.  Yamazaki isn’t looking at him, instead gazing firmly out the window.  Makoto catches his eye and gives him an encouraging nod, and Haru looks back at Rin.  “Why are you wearing so many jackets?”

            Rin scowls, staring out the window behind Haru’s head.  Like the weather outside is personally offending him.  “It’s summer down there right now.”

            Oh.  Right.  Different hemisphere.  They’re only an hour apart, but sometimes Haru forgets how far away Rin really is.  He thinks about the necklace around Yamazaki’s neck.  Wonders if that makes the distance seem smaller.

            Wonders what Makoto does to make it hurt less.

            He stares out the window into the darkness as Rin chatters away about his training schedule, his new team, the coach, Australia in general.  He can see the reflection of their bags’ logos in the window.  Speedo.  Figures they’d buy the same bag.

            Haru drifts off as Rin talks, leaning against the other.  His shoulder is soft with all the padding from the jackets.  It’s not comfortable enough.  Too low.  Too narrow.  He bets Yamazaki’s would be more comfortable.

            He’ll never know; Yamazaki’s shoulder is too injured to risk supporting the entirety of Haru’s body weight.

            He jerks awake when Rin shakes him.  Looking around blearily.  Rin’s already standing, bag over shoulder.  “Our stop’s coming up.”  He shakes his head, making his hair fall back into place, and scoots out of the seat, pulling his bag along with him.

            They walk over to the doors, soon followed by Makoto and Yamazaki.  Haru feels him more than he sees him.  A looming presence behind him, blocking the rest of the train from his view.  Yamazaki’s wearing half the layers that Rin is, but there’s more heat radiating off his body.  Haru can feel it even though they’re not touching.

            The train lurches to a stop and Haru stumbles.  He falls back against Yamazaki for just a moment, getting a puff of air over his head before he stands up straight, too warm.  He looks to the side; Makoto and Rin don’t seem to have noticed.  They have a careful distance between them, but Makoto’s hand is resting lightly on the small of Rin’s back, blocked from view by his body.  Intimate.

            Makoto nudges Rin forward when the doors open, followed by Haru and Yamazaki.  As soon as they’re out from the awning, Haru takes a moment to look at the sky.  They’re far from Tokyo, whisked away from the city and its lights.  The stars shine brightly, only blocked by the steam of his breath.

            “Nanase.”  He jumps from the husky tone too close to his ear.  “We’re falling behind.”  Before he can react, though, Yamazaki’s already walking away, not even looking back.  Haru jogs a few steps to catch up.

            The onsen is mercifully close to the station.  That’s probably why Makoto picked it.  Or at least partially.

            Just like Rin told him, they have two separate rooms.  They’re right next to each other, and Haru lets Yamazaki handle getting the key.  He follows Rin and Makoto down the hall, watching the space between them close as they run into less and less people until they’re holding hands and bumping shoulders.  Rin mutters something and Makoto laughs, freely.  They stop when they reach their room, and Haru stops a few steps behind them, keeping the space.

            Makoto looks back when Rin unlocks the door and leans into him.  The redhead nods at whatever he says and goes into the room, closing the door and leaving Makoto and Haru alone in the hall.

            “Are you ok?”  Makoto asks, soft enough that Haru has to take a few steps forward just to hear him.  Makoto closes the distance on his end.  “You’ve been acting strange all night.”

            Haru shrugs, looking back down the hall when he hears footsteps.  Yamazaki.  He swallows and looks down, away from both of them.  Makoto squeezes his arm, conveying a thousand messages without a word.  A lump forms in Haru’s throat.  He looks back up, meeting his best friend’s gaze.  Makoto nods to him, a small motion, before turning to Yamazaki.  “We’ll meet you in the outside spring in a bit.”

            “Of course,” Yamazaki’s voice flows easily over Haru’s head.  Makoto gives him one last squeeze around his arm before disappearing into the room.

            Haru stands there and stares at the closed door, his mind blankly running at a thousand thoughts a second.  “Nanase.”  He starts, having completely forgotten where he was.  Yamazaki’s standing in front of their open door.  He holds it open as Haru ducks under his arm, careful not to brush against him.

            It’s small, but at least there are two futons rolled up against the wall.  He hadn’t been worried about it before, but seeing them makes him realize he was.  There’s a thwump behind him and when he turns, Yamazaki’s bag is on the ground, towel and robe thrown over his arm already.

            “I’ll meet you in the bath.  Let you settle in here.”  He leaves, not even turning to look at him.  Haru’s blood runs cold.  Something’s wrong.

            He doesn’t settle in, too worked up despite the calming atmosphere around him.  He grabs his own robe and towel and throws them on in the room, shoving his clothes back into his bag.  Yamazaki could’ve done that.  Why didn’t he do that?

            The air is heavy as he walks down the hallway.  Too warm.  Suffocating.  He pushes open the door to the changing room, kicking off his slippers before walking outside.  The cold air clears his mind, his lungs lighter now that they’re not being waved down.

            Haru takes a few deep breaths, eyes closed, before looking around.  The spring is empty, save for Yamazaki’s head poking out of the water.  His stomach plunges at the sight of the other’s bare shoulders.  He has to take off his robe.  And the towel. 

            Not wearing a swimsuit has never made him feel more naked.

            “I’m not looking.”  As if reading his thoughts, Yamazaki’s voice drifts over the steam.  His face is turned completely away, only the back of his head visible to Haru.  A block of ice settles in his lower intestine alongside his stomach.

            Hastily, Haru strips off his robe and towel and steps into the water, letting the steam shield him from view.  He pads over to Yamazaki, stopping a safe distance away.  Too far to feel the gravitational pull from the taller man.  Close enough that Yamazaki turns his head to face forward again.  Not looking at Haru.

            Something is definitely wrong.

            Fixing things isn’t Haru’s specialty.  He’s not good at solving friendships, so a relationship is too far out of his league.  They’re dating, but they just sit there in the water, not looking at each other.  Not talking to each other.

            The freezing air is a nice contrast to the heat of the water.  He’s sure the tension between them would’ve made him pass out by now if he’d been inside.

            Haru stays quiet, lifting his hand out of the water and holding it up in front of his face, blocking the light from the moon.  If the light were closer, he could see through it to his veins.  He wonders if his are bluer than Rin’s or Makoto’s or even Yamazaki’s.

            “Nana–“  Yamazaki starts after several minutes of silence, but the sound of voices cut him off.  Haru turns his head and catches a pained expression on the other’s face before Yamazaki looks away.

            The voices get louder until Rin and Makoto appear, talking easily.  They strip together, not seeming disturbed at all before stepping into the hot spring, joining him and Yamazaki.  “Haru, Sou,” Rin greets, grinning easily, “aren’t you glad you guys came?”

            He expects Yamazaki to give the answer, to speak for them like he normally does, but there’s just a small splash of water and when he looks over Yamazaki is gone.  By the time he figures out what happened, the other is already out of the water, towel wrapped around his waist.  He pulls the robe over his shoulders, not showing any discomfort as he lifts his injured one.

            “Sou?”  Rin asked, pulling himself half out of the water.

            Yamazaki turns and gives Rin a look Haru can’t read through the steam.  “I need to ice my shoulder.”  Rin freezes then lowers himself back in the water.

            “Yeah…take it easy, ok?”  Yamazaki gives a slight nod before disappearing back into the building.

            Rin turns, leveling Haru with an accusing glare.  “What happened?”

            “Rin,” Makoto chides, stepping between them as if he thinks they’re going to break into a fight.

            Rin stops next to Makoto.  “Haru.  Why’d he get out?”

            “I don’t know.”

            “Bullshit –“

            “Rin!”  Makoto looks around frantically, but Rin barrels on.

            “ – his shoulder’s fine, but the two of you have been off all night.  So spill.  What happened?”

            Haru glares back at Rin, never one to back down from a fight.  “Nothing happened.”

            “Well whatever it is, you better go fix it.”

            Haru huffs but makes his way around Makoto, pulling himself out of the water.  “Maybe if you hadn’t said anything, this wouldn’t be a problem,” he shoots back at Rin.  He doesn’t wait to hear Rin’s response.  Just grabs his towel and robe and steps inside.  Makoto will calm Rin down.  He has that ability.

            Just like Rin has the ability to rile Haru up.

            He dries up and wraps the towel back around his waist, pulling the robe on and tying it tight.

            The door to his and Yamazaki’s room is open when he gets there, which is a good thing seeing as he doesn’t have the key.  When he enters, Yamazaki’s sitting there on the edge of one of the unrolled futons, hair dripping all over the floor in front of him.  He’s staring at the floor, not moving even when Haru closes the door behind him.  He wants to get his own futon, but he’d have to walk past Yamazaki to get to it.  So instead he stands there, hovering, unsure what to do.

            Out of his element.

            “I won’t do anything to you that you don’t like.”  Yamazaki’s voice rings throughout the room.  Quiet.  Demanding.  He looks up and meets Haru’s eyes, pinning him there.  “Even date you.”

            Yamazaki holds his gaze until the back of Haru’s neck prickles and he has to look away.  “Do you want to break up with me, Nanase?  One word and we can put it all behind us, forget this ever happened.”

            Haru doesn’t know what Yamazaki means by _this_.  They haven’t even _done_ anything.

            An exhale, almost a snort comes from the futon, and Haru looks down, back at Yamazaki.  “I thought so.  I wasn’t even sure you understood what all this meant…”

            “I want to call you Sousuke,” Haru blurts out.

            That gets the other’s attention. 

            Yamazaki’s head jerks up, and he meets Haru’s gaze again.  “You what?”

            “I want to call you Sousuke.  And I want you to call me Haruka.”  Not Haru.  Everyone calls him Haru.  Yama – Sousuke is special.  Or at least he’s supposed to be.

            “You want me to call you Haruka?”

            Haru nods, just a tilt of his head, and finally Sousuke stands up.  He takes a step towards Haru, and automatically Haru steps back.  Sousuke freezes.  “Is that all you want?”

            He’s being selfish, he knows, not asking Sousuke what _he_ wants. Words have never been Haru’s strong suit, but a voice, sounding suspiciously like Makoto’s, urges him forward.  “I want to fall asleep on your good shoulder.”

            “And?”  Sousuke prompts, taking a step forward again.  This time Haru doesn’t try to step back.

            His internal Makoto encourages him again, echoed by an internal Rin.  “And I want you to hold my hand.”

            “Anything else?”

            “Sit closer to me.”

            Sousuke pauses, just short of touching Haru.  He’s well within his bubble now, their chests inches from each other.  They’ve been this close once before.  Not a memory he’s overly fond of.  “Just that?  Sit near you so you can sleep on me and hold your hand…Haruka?”

            Haru’s heartbeat stutters.  Strange.  That’s never happened before.  He nods, fingers twitching.  “There might be more, but…later.  Not yet.”

            Sousuke chuckles, finding humor somehow in Haru’s words.  There’s a rough texture, calluses, on his fingers as he reaches out and brushes Haru’s.  Feather light.  Haru closes the distance, grabbing Sousuke’s hand in his own.  He lets out another chuckle.

            “I think I can do that.”  Sousuke’s voice is soft, almost as soft as his hair as he leans forward, forehead bumping against Haru’s.  Haru’s breathing shallows, but Sousuke doesn’t push it any further than that.  They stand there, only two points of contact, not speaking, not moving, just breathing, until there’s a loud rapping on the door.

            “Haru!  I know you’re in there!  Dammit, Haru!”

            “Shh…Rin you’re being loud.  Calm down…”

            Sousuke squeezes Haru’s hand, focusing his energy on that one point.  “What’d you rile up Rin about this time?”  Sousuke murmurs, no accusing tone in his voice.

            He knows, but he doesn’t want to talk about it yet.  Not in this moment.  Haru knows they barely crossed some sort of barrier, and he doesn’t want Sousuke looking back at the side they just came from.  Not yet.

            “Who knows…it’s Rin.”

            Sousuke laughs, freer this time, pushing his forehead into Haru’s before he backs up, releasing his hand.  “Set up your futon how you like it.  I’ll calm him down.”

            The necklace gleams against Sousuke’s chest, reflecting the light as he walks to the door.  It doesn’t bother him so much anymore, that tie he has to Rin.  Haru sets up his futon, a little closer to Sousuke’s than he had originally planned while the other talks to Rin and Makoto at the door.  Rin’s right, there are plenty of things they haven’t done.  But Haru thinks that maybe, if it’s Sousuke, he doesn’t mind moving slow.

             

 


End file.
